March/April 2008

The latest hotel amenity is a 24/7 fashion show, thanks to a partnership between loft hotel brand NYLO Hotels and fashion designer and reality TV celebrity Daniel Vosovic.

The collaboration has produced a unique collection called NYLO Wear by Daniel Vosovic, which premiered in December as uniforms for staff at the NYLO Plano hotel in North Dallas.

Created for both frontline hotel employees and fashionistas, NYLO Wear is a 20-piece collection that aims to flatter its wearers – whether they’re at work in the hotel, in an office nearby, or out on the town with friends. The mix-and-match clothing line includes sweaters, skirts, polos, pants, blouses, shirts, jumpers and jackets. And soon, the line will be available for consumers to purchase in the hotel chain’s boutique shops and online at www.nylohotels.com.

Hotel as runway

“NYLO is a design-driven brand, from its new, urban loft-style construction to its custom furniture and decor,” says Michael Mueller, NYLO president and visionary for the brand’s NYLO Wear collection. “We thought a higher-end designer collection, used as uniforms for the hotel, would be a natural fit. Daniel is tremendously talented. His designs are innovative and streamlined but very approachable. NYLO hotels are stylish in the same way.”

“When Mike approached me about designing a clothing line for NYLO, I was really surprised,” Vosovic recalls. “I said, ‘I don’t do polyester, and I don’t do burgundy with brass buttons.’ Mike said, ‘Good, neither do we . . .’ I’m loving this project. The creativity and support are tremendous. This is an opportunity to work with a group of people who want great design and really understand it.”

(Daniel Vosovic intends to achieve a fashion first with his stylish uniforms for NYLO Hotels: They would become the first uniforms available to the public as a line of designer fashions.)

Here’s what Vosovic has to say about how NYLO Wear is taking the traditional image of hotel uniforms and giving it a makeover:

What’s included in the collection?

Vosovic: There are several different versions of pants for men and women, dresses, and skirts, and all the layering pieces – T-shirts, long-sleeved blouses, button-down shirts for men, polos, jackets and more. Line extensions are already in the works for accessories, including luggage, handbags, Dopp kits for men, robes, jewelry, belts and outerwear.

Who will wear the apparel?

Vosovic: It’s for front-line workers, including bartenders, servers, front-desk staffers and concierge. The clothes are meant to be worn outside the hotel too, to work or out with friends. The clean shapes and comfortable fabrics make most of the pieces easily mixable and layerable within an existing wardrobe. Consumers will soon be able to buy pieces from the collection in the hotel boutique shops and online as well.

How does NYLO Wear feature the signature Daniel Vosovic look?

Vosovic: My designs have a clean and modern aesthetic. I love tailored garments, structure, and innovative seam lines. Everything about NYLO Wear – from the shapes and proportions to the colors – is streamlined but also comfortable and wearable.

How does the apparel tie in with NYLO’s design?

Vosovic: I pulled from NYLO’s urban loft design for the overall concept. The color palette – dark charcoal grays and khakis – draws on the building materials. The collection is designed to work within NYLO’s bold graphic lines, so the clothes are visually interesting in their setting. The stripes on T-shirts, for instance, mimic the lines of the exposed piping. For the fabric, we used cotton blends and cotton sateens with a slight sheen to create a balance. Their softer fibers draw a contrast with the hotels’ surfaces of exposed brick, polished concrete, wood and glass.

How do you ensure the collection will stay contemporary?

Vosovic: NYLO Wear features good, classic designs to endure, but with a modern twist. However, fashion is evolutionary by nature. We created a clothing line based on mix-and-match pieces, tonal colors, and layering to make it fluid. For most collections, you just produce it and move on to the next one. This is an exciting opportunity because I get a chance to receive feedback, allowing the collection to continually evolve. For example, NYLO Wear will soon become site-specific; each hotel’s wardrobe will be unique, tying in with the specific look and feel of its locale. We decided to work with neutrals and bring in color in shirts and bright accents – belts, trims, and logos – to mirror the one-of-a-kind look of each hotel.

Will employees be free to mix-and-match as they please?

Vosovic: We’re doing a “look book” of mix-and-match guidelines. It will serve as a kind of fashion mentor, telling employees, for example, to pair A with B or C. Each employee position will have several options. With dozens and dozens of combinations, a guest could stay several days at a NYLO without ever seeing the same outfit twice.

How do you assure the apparel will also be functional as uniforms?

Vosovic: The garments are wearable and breathable. Before designing NYLO Wear, I spoke extensively with people working in restaurants and hotels. They all said movement and comfort are huge, and looking good never hurt. I’ve also worked in the industry as a server, so I know there’s a lot of the unexpected that goes on behind the scenes. The apparel is washable. While it’s higher-end design, it’s also durable. The collection is all about balancing beauty with practicality. These clothes are meant to be worn and used, but also enjoyed.

Holloman moves up at Cintas
Cintas (asi/162167) has named J. Philip Holloman as president and COO. During his 12 years at Cintas, Holloman has served in various capacities, most recently as senior vice president of global supply chain management. Holloman succeeds Scott Farmer, who has relinquished the title of president but remains as CEO.

Holloman is credited with leading the team that built 37 new Cintas rental processing facilities and standardized the utilization of automated processing equipment systems. He also implemented a process that reduced the time it took to achieve target operating efficiency by 75%.

“Philip’s outstanding track record in implementing our corporate Six Sigma initiative, opening new distribution centers and developing our Global Supply Chain group will be of tremendous value as president and COO of Cintas.” Farmer says of his colleague’s new appointment.

Wiseman promoted at VF

VF Corporation has named Eric Wiseman as its new president and chief operating officer. Wiseman will follow in the footsteps, but not be the successor, of George Derhofer, former senior vice president of global operations. “In his 13 years with VF, George has been an exemplary leader whose contributions have helped make VF what it is today,” says Mackey McDonald, chairman and CEO of VF. “George brought to VF a rare combination of business, operations and financial skills, together with an inspirational leadership style and a true passion for the business.”

DeLeo on the Vantage team

Vantage Apparel (asi/93390) welcomes Kristi DeLeo as the sales representative for Southern California and Hawaii. She comes to Vantage with over eight years of sales experience, most recently for A.T. Cross Company (asi/47520).

Sierra Pacific adds three lines

Scope Apparel, the parent company of Sierra Pacific Apparel (asi/87244), announces the addition of Umbro, Rawlings and Hilton to its portfolio. The new brands will be marketed under the Sierra Pacific umbrella with Sierra Pacific, FeatherLite and Blake & Hollister.

Ronnie Alschuler, VP of sales for Sierra Pacific Apparel Group says, “We look forward to providing customers with a complete resource for their uniform needs.”

Get Smart: Take advantage of these educational opportunities.
Broder Bros. open house

Alpha Shirt Company (asi/34408) and Broder (asi/42090) invite customers to local distribution centers for seminars and tours.

Open house dates and locations include:

• Orlando, FL – March 20th
• Harrisburg, PA – April 17th
• Chicago – September 25th
• Dallas – October 23rd

Turn off the 50s style television and start living in color! Join X-Rite, Inc. and Pantone’s color experts for their popular color seminar Color Control Freak 08. This seminar includes an in-depth understanding of color, the value of color in design processes and techniques for proper reproduction. Sponsored by Pantone, HP, Eizo and X-Rite, this one-day interactive seminar equips design professionals with the latest color knowledge and tools. Attendees will learn the basics in color trends and psychology as well as how to collect, build and specify color that remains consistent from screen to print. Details can be found at www.xrite.com/colorcontrol08.

“The right color can be motivational, emotional and very persuasive,” says Doris Brown, vice president of marketing at Pantone. “Accurately capturing the desired color and reproducing it faithfully and consistently is imperative in maintaining the intended message and integrity of the design project.”

They are family

Geiger’s (asi/202900) most recent awards include Gannett Family-Owned Business of the Year (2007) awarded by the Institute for Family-Owned Business of the University of Southern Maine; Family Business of the Year (2007) awarded by the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI), and the Maine Cornerstone Award for businesses that contribute to the local and state economies as well as to their communities. Geiger was also recognized by TheBest Companies Group as one of the Best Places to Work in Maine in 2006. In addition to the company awards, Geiger also acknowledges its associates who earned either Certified Advertising Specialist (CAS) or Master Advertising Specialist (MAS) designations by passing a two-hour long exam. The Geiger team now includes 67 CAS and 41 MAS certifications.

The Happy Blues

Blue Generation’s (asi/40653) 2007 National Sales Convention was recently held at the Sheraton Hotel in New York. The event began with a banquet dinner and sales award presentation, followed the next day with a corporate review of the new 2008 Blue Generation Logo Ready Apparel collection. The event was attended by over 35 sales people from across the country.

The 2007 Milton Rubin Award for Outstanding Representation of the Blue Generation collection of Logo Ready Apparel was presented to Jerry Hubbard (center) by Phil (left) and Eric Rubin.